Chains of Shame

This is a poem I wrote last year. I posted it on my writing site, Helium, but really haven’t shared it with anyone. It has a double meaning for me. I hope you like it.

The chains were tight for so longEvery time I struggled to loosen themThey got tighter.I was shackledAlways dreaming how it would feelTo be freeSometimes the chains would dig so deepAnd bruise meI would crySilent tearsSometimes there were scarsBut mostly scars you couldn’t seeThe chains tightenedWhen I spoke, or didn’tMostly didn’t – and they choked meIt took a long time to remove the chainsSometimes I still feel the indentAnd see the faint bruisesAs my skin, and me, is sensitiveDo you know what they look like?Have you ever felt the chains?They aren’t what you think they areThey are heavy, like a weightI felt them, alwaysCutting, digging, biting, causingMy hands and throat to clench tightI couldn’t use my hands or throat to talkThe chains held me back, pulled me tautKept my mind lockedAnd my heart closedAnd kept me from what I wantedWhen they finally came off, I felt lighterFloating, free, unleashedThese were no regular chainsThey were chains of shameAnd thankfullyThey’re gone.Can you tell?